Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-07-07
BALLARD is FREE.
The Noted Counterfeiter is Pardoned.
President Cleveland Thinks He
Can Do No Harm.
A Number of Changes to be Made in
the Departments at Washington
To Day.-GOyernment Tele-
graph Rates Fixed-Capi-
tai Notes.

WASHINGTON, July 1.-The president
has acted upon the applications for par
| don of number of convicted criminals.
| The most important case is that of
| Thomas Ballard, the notorious counter
| feiter, who was sentenced January 21,
1875, to 80 years imprisonm in the
Albany penitentiary for engraving and
having in his possession counterfeit
plates, notes, etc. The president has
granted him pardon. In endorsing the
application he says that the prisoner was
supposed to be one of the most expert
counterfeiters in the country. He has
how been in the prison equivalent to
more than fifteen years, allowing the de-
duction he has secured for good behavior
He has grown to be an old man, broken
down physically and mentally. His con-
duct has been such as to cause much in
terest to be felt in his case by many
good citizens and officials concerned in
| his conviction. His wife who has
chung to him with true wOmans devo
tlon all these years and who has almost
worn herself out In her efforts to sup
| port and educate her daughter, just now
reaching womanhOod, pleads for her err
| ing and penltent husbands release.
There is universal belief on the part of
| those acquainted with the case, that
the prisoners reformation is certainly
| complete, and that in no circumstances
could this broken down man, whose
mind is fast giving way to his body, be
| menace to society if liberated.
II am of the opinion that in this case
the law has been fully vindicated" Par
dons were granted in half dozen other
cases, none of which are of general in
terest. He refused to pardon John
Irvine, of Wyoming, convicted of mail
robbery.
DEPARTMENT CHANGES.
Incident to the Incoming of new ifs
cal year, number of changes will occur
In the public service tomorrow. In the
consular service the present system of
compromising consults by fees will, I'M
der the terms of the new appropriation
bill, be supplemented to a large extent
by system of graded salaries. Twenty
clerks in the Treasury department have
been dismissed to take effect tomorrow
because of the failure of congress to
make provision for the payment of their
salaries. A number of minor changes
such as increases and reductions in the
salaries of certain officers will take effect
tomorrow, as does also the executive
order consolidating internal revenue dis
tricts. The judicial branch of the gov
eminent is increased by two judges. The
20 per cent. reduction in the salaries of
assistant district attorneys goes into
effect tomorrow. The new appropria-
tions will cause about twenty four
chan Ses III Uiae=a 9 rInurruraI- apartment. |
M int &c L. 4
and about twelve persons serving under
temporary appointments will be trans
ferred to the permanent rolls. The ap-
propriatiors for the government print
ing office is ABBOTT $4,000 less than for
the past fiscal year, but Public Printer
Benedict says that very few employees
will be disturbed.
GOVERNMENT TELEGRAMs.
The postmaster-general has issued an
order fixing the rates of governm ent tele-
grams for the coming year. The rates
are the same as last year, but the basis
of computation has been changed. In
stead of paying rates on the exact dis
lance from the place whore the telegram
is filed to the point of destination, the
distance from state or territorial capital
and to state Or territorial capital is COM
puted and the tolls paid thereon. The
following are the rates: Twenty words
or more for any distance up to 1000
miles, 1 cent a word; twenty words or
more for distance of $500 miles or
more, 21a cents word; twenty words or
more for distances exceeding 1 600 miles,
add tenth of the rate for 1000 miles
for each 100 miles in excess Of 1000.
GOING TO CLINTON, N. Y.
It is stated at the White house to-day
that the president has decided to attend
the centennial celebration at Clinton, n.
Y, July Ii, but beyond that he has not
yet completed his arrangem ents for the
summer. He drives out to his summer
residence at Oak View every afternoon as
usual and returns to the White house IN
the morning.
A statement prepared for the annual re-
port of the Fish commission shows by river
basins the following distribution of shad,
during the past season. Penobscot river,
100000; Kenpebec river 100000; tribu-
taries of Naragansett bay, 1,125,000; Hud
son river and estuaries, 1,O79,00O; tribu-
taries of Delaware bay, 100000; tribu
taries of the South Atlantic coast, 1856
900; tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico,
7,048 600; inland waters, LOLA 1000; total,
50, 421 900. This number is greatly in
excess of che out put of any previous
year.
The Editor Was Diving.
Atchinson Globe.